MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine opened the game on a 15-4 run and never looked back cruising to a 70-54 victory against South Dakota to open the 2012 Thanksgiving Classic Friday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves (2-0) collect their first home win of the season in the first-ever meeting against the Coyotes (1-3).

Pepperdine will take on Wyoming (3-0) in Saturday’s championship game set for a 3:30 p.m. tip-off. The Cowgirls rallied for a 55-45 triumph against Seton Hall (2-3) in the opening game. The Coyotes will take on the Pirates in the consolation game set for 1:00 p.m.

Robie Mayberry (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O’Dowd HS) and Ea Shoushtari (Los Angeles, Calif./L.A.C.E.S.) led three Waves in double-digit scoring with 14 points apiece. Mayberry drained four 3-pointers and pulled down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, while Shoushtari connected on three from deep to go along with six rebounds and a team-high four assists.

Tessa Emerson (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) scored a career-high 10 points on 5-of-6 from the field with seven rebounds in 26 minutes. Ten Waves scored in the contest and 10 pulled down at least one rebound.

“Seeing everybody get in there and play, that’s always fun,” Pepperdine head coach Julie Rousseau said. “They all work hard. We’re getting better in a lot of ways. South Dakota does a really good job, but I thought our mindset was right and we came in with an understanding of the work that was going to be required. I think they were all on the same page.”

Pepperdine shot at a solid .391 (25-64) pace from the field and .348 (8-23) from long distance. The Waves limited the Coyotes to a .310 (18-58) clip for the game and a .292 (7-24) rate from 3-point range.

Pepperdine won the rebounding battle convincingly at 47-38, 17-14 on the offensive glass. Despite a season-low five steals, the Waves still forced 15 South Dakota turnovers and converted those miscues into 18 points.

“Our rebounding in the first half was close, but in the second half our kids made a much better effort to get in there and get some offensive rebounds and really limit them to one shot,” Rousseau said. “It’s still a work in progress, but we’re getting better.”

In addition to rebounding, Pepperdine did a nice job of converting its opportunities in the paint, outscoring South Dakota 24-12 down low and 19-11 in second chance opportunities. The Waves also took care of business at the charity stripe, converting at a .800 (12-15) rate, led by a 4-for-4 night from freshman Keitra Wallace (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS). Fellow freshman Kelsey Brockway (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) scored three points with five rebounds and a blocked shot in 16 minutes.

After trailing by 14 early, South Dakota cut the deficit to a one possession game just once, closing to 23-20 with 8:44 left in the first half. The Waves led by as many as 20 in the second half.